Every great story starts somewhere! Today, we’re taking our big story ideas and figuring out how to turn them into a compelling beginning. Let’s map out Act I of our novels together!
Welcome back to Day 18 of Preptober 2026! 🎃✍️
You guys, we’re officially PLOTTING our novels!
And I don’t know about you, but this is the part of Preptober where everything starts feeling REAL. 🥹💕
For the past seventeen days, we’ve been brainstorming ideas, developing characters, building fictional worlds, and figuring out what makes our stories worth telling.
And yesterday?
We identified the BIG moments in our novels!
Our openings.
Inciting incidents.
Turning points.
Midpoints.
Darkest moments.
Climaxes.
And resolutions!
But today, we’re going to start connecting those dots.
And we’re starting with the very beginning.
ACT I! 🎉
Because before we can send our protagonists on incredible adventures, make them fall hopelessly in love, or completely destroy their lives for the sake of character development…
We need to figure out where their stories begin. 😂
Today, we’re mapping out the opening portion of our novels.
And don’t worry!
We’re not outlining every single chapter just yet.
We’re simply figuring out the important events that will introduce our protagonists, establish their conflicts, and launch them into the main story.
So grab your free Preptober 2026 E-Guide, because we’ve got a novel to plan!
What Is Act I of a Novel?
Let’s start with the basics.
Most traditional three-act story structures divide a novel into three major sections:
Act I: The Beginning
Act II: The Middle
Act III: The Ending
And today, we’re focusing on that first section.
Act I introduces readers to our protagonist and the world they inhabit.
It establishes the circumstances of their everyday life.
It gives readers a reason to care about them.
And eventually, something happens that changes everything.
The purpose of Act I is to move our protagonist from their starting situation into the central conflict of the story.
Now, here’s something important.
Act I doesn’t have to be an enormous section filled with elaborate explanations about your fictional world.
And you don’t need to introduce every single character, location, or subplot immediately.
In fact, trying to explain EVERYTHING in the beginning can sometimes overwhelm readers.
Instead, we want to focus on the details that matter most.
Who is our protagonist?
What do they want?
What is their life like?
What’s missing?
What changes?
And why can’t things simply go back to the way they were?
Those questions will help us create a strong foundation for the rest of our novels.
Step 1: Establish Your Protagonist’s Ordinary World 🌎
Before everything changes, we need to understand where our protagonist is starting.
This is sometimes called the ordinary world.
And no, that doesn’t mean their life has to be ordinary! 😂
If you’re writing fantasy, your protagonist might live in a world filled with dragons and magic.
If you’re writing science fiction, they might spend their days aboard a spaceship.
If you’re writing contemporary romance, they might be juggling a demanding career and a complicated family.
Whatever their circumstances, this is their version of normal.
And we want readers to understand it.
Think back to our earlier Preptober exercises.
On Day 7, we identified the key players in our stories.
On Day 8, we developed our protagonists.
On Day 10, we explored their goals, conflicts, and stakes.
And on Day 11, we looked at their wants, needs, and false beliefs.
Now we’re going to use that information!
Your protagonist’s ordinary world should help establish who they are before the central story begins changing them.
Maybe your protagonist is completely satisfied with their life.
Maybe they’re desperately unhappy.
Maybe they’re convinced they have everything figured out.
Or maybe they know something is missing but haven’t figured out what it is.
All of those possibilities can create interesting starting points.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- What does my protagonist’s everyday life look like?
- What do they want at the beginning of the novel?
- What relationships are important to them?
- What are they unhappy or dissatisfied with?
- What false belief influences their decisions?
- What is one thing about their life that readers need to understand?
And here’s my favorite question:
What is my protagonist about to lose, gain, or have challenged?
Because the answer can help you identify what needs to be established before the story changes.
Step 2: Introduce the Conflict Before Everything Explodes 🔥
Now, here’s something I want you to think about.
Your novel doesn’t necessarily have to begin with an enormous, dramatic event.
Sometimes, it’s more effective to establish that something isn’t quite right.
Maybe your protagonist feels trapped in a situation they can’t escape.
Maybe they’re pursuing a goal that seems impossible.
Maybe there’s tension in an important relationship.
Or maybe they have a problem they’ve been avoiding for years.
These early tensions can help prepare readers for the inciting incident.
For example, imagine a contemporary romance about someone who desperately wants to open a bakery.
At the beginning of the novel, they’re working a job they don’t enjoy.
They’re saving money.
And they’re convinced that opening their own business is the only way they’ll finally feel successful.
Now, imagine they receive an unexpected opportunity to take over a struggling bakery.
That opportunity becomes much more meaningful because we’ve already established what they want.
The inciting incident matters more when readers understand why it matters to the protagonist.
And that’s why the opening portion of Act I is so important.
We’re not simply introducing a character.
We’re establishing the circumstances that make the coming events meaningful.
Step 3: Identify Your Inciting Incident 👀
Okay, you guys.
THIS is where things start getting interesting!
The inciting incident is the event that disrupts our protagonist’s existing situation and sets the central story in motion.
Something happens.
And suddenly, life can’t continue exactly as it did before.
Maybe your protagonist receives an unexpected invitation.
Discovers an important secret.
Meets someone who challenges everything they believe.
Loses their job.
Or finds themselves facing a problem they can no longer ignore.
Whatever happens, the inciting incident creates change.
And that change demands a response.
Think about your protagonist’s goal.
What do they want?
And what event forces them to take action?
Questions to Ask Yourself
- What happens that disrupts my protagonist’s life?
- Why does this event matter to them?
- How do they initially react?
- What new problem or opportunity does it introduce?
- What might happen if they ignore it?
Now, here’s something important.
Your inciting incident doesn’t have to be the biggest event in your novel.
It simply needs to be significant enough to set the story in motion.
Sometimes, a single conversation changes everything.
Sometimes, meeting one person changes the direction of an entire life.
And sometimes, a seemingly small decision creates consequences nobody could have predicted.
That’s the beauty of storytelling!
Step 4: Give Your Protagonist a Reason to Get Involved 💕
Now that something has disrupted our protagonist’s life, we need to think about how they respond.
Because not every protagonist immediately embraces change.
Some characters jump at the opportunity for adventure.
Others resist it with everything they’ve got.
And honestly?
I LOVE a reluctant protagonist. 😂
Maybe your character doesn’t want to leave home.
Maybe they don’t trust the person asking for help.
Maybe they’re afraid of failing.
Or maybe accepting the opportunity means confronting something they’ve spent years avoiding.
Whatever their response, we want to understand their motivation.
Why does your protagonist eventually become involved in the central conflict?
This is where your character’s wants, needs, and false beliefs can become especially useful.
Maybe they accept a challenge because they desperately want to prove themselves.
Maybe they refuse an opportunity because they believe they can’t succeed.
Or maybe they take action because someone they love is in danger.
Their decision should make sense based on who they are at the beginning of the story.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- Does my protagonist initially accept or resist the change?
- What motivates their response?
- What are they afraid of?
- What do they hope to gain?
- What would make them reconsider their decision?
And remember…
The way your protagonist responds to the inciting incident can reveal a LOT about their personality.
This is a wonderful opportunity to show readers who your character is through their actions.
Step 5: Build Toward Your Act I Turning Point 🚪
Now we’ve reached the moment that launches our protagonist into the main story.
The Act I turning point!
This is where our protagonist commits to a new course of action or enters circumstances that significantly change their direction.
Maybe they decide to leave home.
Accept a dangerous assignment.
Enter a competition.
Agree to an unexpected arrangement.
Or make a decision that changes an important relationship.
Sometimes this turning point is a deliberate choice.
Other times, circumstances force the protagonist into a situation they didn’t choose.
Either way, something important changes.
The Act I turning point moves our protagonist out of their starting situation and into the central conflict.
And ideally, it creates a sense of momentum.
Readers should want to know what happens next!
Questions to Ask Yourself
- What major decision or event ends Act I?
- What does my protagonist commit to?
- What changes because of this moment?
- Why can’t they simply return to their previous circumstances?
- What new challenges await them?
Here’s a little tip.
If you’re struggling to identify your Act I turning point, ask yourself:
What moment makes the central story impossible to avoid?
That question can help you find the event that pushes your protagonist forward.
Step 6: Make Sure Your Beginning Creates Momentum
Okay, let’s talk about something that can be especially challenging when writing the beginning of a novel.
PACING! 😂
Because it’s incredibly tempting to spend the first several chapters explaining everything about our fictional worlds.
We want readers to understand the history.
The magic system.
The family relationships.
The political structure.
The protagonist’s childhood.
And every single detail we’ve spent the past two weeks developing.
But here’s the thing.
Readers don’t need to know everything immediately.
They need enough information to understand what’s happening and why they should care.
That’s it!
You can reveal additional details as the story progresses.
In fact, sometimes it’s more interesting to let readers discover your world through your protagonist’s experiences.
Instead of explaining an entire social hierarchy, show how it affects your character.
Instead of describing every rule of a magic system, show one rule creating a problem.
Instead of providing a complete family history, show a conversation that reveals an important relationship.
Worldbuilding is especially effective when it shapes what happens in the story.
And remember…
Your opening doesn’t need constant action to feel engaging.
Quiet scenes can be compelling, too.
What matters is that something meaningful is happening.
Maybe the protagonist makes a decision.
Maybe a relationship changes.
Maybe a question is introduced.
Or maybe readers discover something that makes them want to keep turning the pages.
A Quick Pacing Check
Look at the events you’ve planned for Act I and ask yourself:
Does each important moment accomplish something?
Does it reveal character?
Establish conflict?
Develop a relationship?
Introduce a meaningful question?
Or move the story toward the Act I turning point?
If the answer is yes, you’re building momentum!
And if something feels unnecessary?
You can always revisit it later.
Remember, we’re still planning.
Nothing is set in stone!
What If Your Beginning Feels Too Slow?
Now, let’s address something that I think a LOT of writers worry about.
What if your opening feels boring?
What if it takes too long for something interesting to happen?
Or what if you’re not sure where your story should actually begin?
First of all, remember that we’re still in the planning stage.
You don’t need to solve every pacing problem today.
But here are a few questions that might help.
Are You Starting Too Early?
Sometimes we begin our novels long before the central conflict starts.
Maybe we’re spending several chapters establishing our protagonist’s routine.
Or explaining events that happened years before the story begins.
While those details might matter to you as the writer, readers may not need to experience all of them.
Ask yourself:
Could my story begin closer to the event that changes everything?
Sometimes moving the opening forward creates immediate momentum.
Are You Introducing Too Much Information?
Remember all that worldbuilding we just did?
Well, we don’t need to put ALL of it in Chapter One! 😂
Focus on what readers need to understand right now.
You can introduce additional information naturally throughout the story.
Does Your Protagonist Have Something They Want?
Even before the inciting incident, your protagonist should have motivations.
Maybe they’re trying to accomplish something small.
Maybe they’re avoiding a difficult conversation.
Or maybe they’re pursuing a goal that will eventually collide with the central conflict.
A character who wants something gives readers a reason to pay attention.
Is Something Changing?
Not every scene needs a dramatic revelation.
But meaningful change helps create momentum.
Maybe a character learns something new.
Maybe a relationship shifts.
Maybe a decision introduces consequences.
Or maybe a new question makes readers curious about what happens next.
Those changes can help keep your beginning engaging.
What If You Don’t Know How Your Novel Starts?
Okay, here’s another important reminder.
You do NOT need to have the perfect opening figured out before November 1st.
Maybe you know your inciting incident.
But you’re not sure what happens beforehand.
Maybe you know your Act I turning point.
But you’re struggling to decide where the story should begin.
Or maybe you have three completely different opening ideas.
That’s okay!
Write them down.
Experiment.
And give yourself permission to change your mind.
You can even start drafting a scene you already know and return to the opening later.
There’s no rule that says you must write your novel in chronological order.
And there’s definitely no rule that says your first attempt at Chapter One has to be perfect.
The purpose of Preptober is to help you feel prepared—not to eliminate every uncertainty.
Sometimes the best way to discover your opening is to start writing.
Today’s Preptober Assignment ✍️
Grab your free Preptober 2026 E-Guide and turn back to your Story Beats section.
Today, we’re expanding on the beginning of our novels.
And remember…
We’re NOT outlining every chapter yet!
We’re simply mapping the important events that will make up Act I.
Spend about 15–20 minutes working through these steps.
Step 1: Establish Your Opening
Write down a few sentences describing your protagonist’s starting situation.
Who are they?
What does their life look like?
What do they want?
And what isn’t quite right?
Step 2: Identify Your Inciting Incident
Write down the event that disrupts their life.
What happens?
Why does it matter?
And how does your protagonist respond?
Step 3: Explore Their Initial Reaction
Does your protagonist embrace the change?
Resist it?
Try to ignore it?
Or make a decision that creates even more complications?
Think about how their personality and false beliefs might influence their response.
Step 4: Identify Your Act I Turning Point
What major decision or event launches your protagonist into the central conflict?
What changes?
And why can’t things simply return to the way they were?
Step 5: Connect the Dots
Now, look at those major moments and ask yourself:
What needs to happen between them?
You don’t need a complete scene-by-scene outline.
Just jot down a few possibilities.
Maybe a character needs to be introduced.
Maybe an important relationship needs to develop.
Or maybe your protagonist needs to encounter an obstacle that influences their next decision.
These ideas will become especially useful when we start outlining our chapters later this month!
Bonus Exercise: The One-Sentence Act I Summary
Try completing this sentence:
At the beginning of my novel, [PROTAGONIST] is [STARTING SITUATION], but when [INCITING INCIDENT] happens, they must [IMPORTANT DECISION OR ACTION], leading them into [CENTRAL CONFLICT].
Don’t worry about making it sound beautiful.
This isn’t a query letter.
It’s not your final book blurb.
It’s simply a way to understand the direction of your beginning.
And if you can complete that sentence?
You’re already making wonderful progress!
Follow Along With Preptober 2026! 🎃📖
If you’re just joining us, welcome!
Throughout October, I’m sharing 31 daily YouTube videos to help writers plan their novels and prepare for Novel November.
We’re working through my free Preptober 2026 E-Guide, one section at a time.
And whether you’re a dedicated plotter, a proud pantser, or somewhere in between, you’re welcome to join us!
You don’t need a perfect opening.
You don’t need to introduce every character immediately.
And you definitely don’t need to explain your entire magic system in Chapter One. 😂
You just need to understand where your protagonist begins and what launches them into the story.
Coming Up Tomorrow: Let’s Map the MIDDLE of Your Novel! 📖🔥
Tomorrow, we’re moving on to Day 19 of Preptober 2026, and we’re tackling something that can intimidate even experienced writers.
THE MIDDLE! 😂
You know…
That enormous stretch of story between your exciting beginning and your incredible ending.
The part where your characters have to make decisions.
Face obstacles.
Develop relationships.
Experience setbacks.
And eventually reach a turning point that changes everything.
Tomorrow, we’ll explore how to build momentum through Act II and avoid that dreaded sagging middle.
Because now that we know how our stories begin…
It’s time to figure out what happens NEXT!
Before you go, I’d love to hear from you:
Does your protagonist willingly jump into the main conflict, or do they have to be DRAGGED into it? 👀😂
Are they excited for adventure?
Absolutely terrified?
Completely reluctant?
Or convinced they can solve the problem and get back to their normal life by dinner?
Tell me in the comments!
I’ll see you tomorrow!
We’ve got a novel to plan. 🎃✍️
